Don Givens after winning the Swiss league title with Neuchatel Xamax in 1987. Photo: Getty
While he had made his debut for Manchester United as a teenager and had already made his mark with the Ireland team, the career of Don Givens was on the slide in 1981 when a new destination came calling.
After departing Sheffield United, who had just been relegated to the fourth tier of English football, the 31-year-old striker had employment offers from the USA and the Netherlands but an unexpected chance to join a relatively obscure club in Switzerland would bring the most enjoyable phase of his playing days.